kitio.aiOllama vs cognee
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Ollama starts at $20/mo and cognee starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- One-command model runs
- OpenAI-compatible local API
- Model library
- Desktop chat app
- Ollama Cloud
- Graph and vector retrieval
- Python SDK
- MCP and Claude Code integration
- Slack, GitHub and Notion connectors
- Ontology generation
- Self-hosting
| Feature | Ollama | cognee |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Run open models locally with one command, plus optional cloud models | Open-source memory layer for AI agents and teams |
| Category | Models & APIs | Models & APIs |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Ollama | cognee |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Ollama starts at $20/mo and cognee starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
5 plans
Pay as you go
Free
- Run models locally for free
- Pay per token for cloud models
- 3 concurrent requests
Pro
$20/mo
- $60 of usage credits per month
- Access to larger pro models
Max
$100/mo
- $300 of usage credits per month
- 10 concurrent requests
- Early access to new models
Team
$500/mo
- Unlimited users
- $1,000 shared credits per month
- Centralized billing, priority support
Enterprise
Custom
- Cost budgets per user and key
- Dedicated Slack support
3 plans
Free
Free
- 1 workspace
- 1M tokens included
- Unlimited users and API calls
Standard
$1.00 / 1M tokens
- $5 per extra workspace a month
- Slack, Notion, Linear, Drive
- Code indexing
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Bi-temporal memory
- Provenance on every answer
- Bring your own cloud
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Ollama
- Very easy local setup
- Huge tool ecosystem
- Free for local use
- Fewer tuning options than llama.cpp
- Large models need strong hardware
- Cloud limits can change
cognee
- Open source and self-hostable
- Free cloud tier with 1M tokens
- Answers keep source citations
- Needs developer setup
- Data connectors only on paid cloud plans
- Token-based billing can be hard to predict
Which one should you choose?
Choose Ollama if you want:
- Very easy local setup
- Huge tool ecosystem
- Free for local use
Watch out: fewer tuning options than llama.cpp.
Choose cognee if you want:
- Open source and self-hostable
- Free cloud tier with 1M tokens
- Answers keep source citations
Watch out: needs developer setup.
Ollama vs cognee FAQ
What is the difference between Ollama and cognee?
Ollama: Run open models locally with one command, plus optional cloud models. cognee: Open-source memory layer for AI agents and teams. Both are models & apis tools.
Is Ollama or cognee cheaper?
Ollama starts at $20/mo and cognee starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Ollama and cognee have free plans?
Ollama: Yes. cognee: Yes.
Who makes Ollama?
Ollama is made by Ollama, based in United States.
Who makes cognee?
cognee is made by cognee.
Which should I choose, Ollama or cognee?
Choose Ollama if you value very easy local setup and huge tool ecosystem. Choose cognee if you value open source and self-hostable and free cloud tier with 1m tokens.